


Talk

by pann_cake



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Long-Distance Relationship, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 06:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13207473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pann_cake/pseuds/pann_cake
Summary: He showed up at Dean’s house unannounced, with his regular three bags of luggage, a six-pack of beer, and a grocery bag full of snacks. For that first split second, Seth could see just how tired and sore and miserable Dean was. Then Dean’s face broke into that bright grin that was only reserved for Seth.





	Talk

Seth didn’t tell anyone he was leaving, except Roman. He just left, not caring what anyone might say or think. He had to be back for a show the next day, but he didn’t care. A night and a morning with Dean was worth the flights back and forth in such short time. He hadn’t been able to be with Dean when he went into surgery, when he got his diagnosis. He couldn’t wait anymore--he had to be there for him now.

He showed up at Dean’s house unannounced, with his regular three bags of luggage, a six-pack of beer, and a grocery bag full of snacks. For that first split second, Seth could see just how tired and sore and miserable Dean was. Then Dean’s face broke into that bright grin that was only reserved for Seth. 

“The hell’re you doing here?” he asked, pulling Seth in for a kiss before Seth could reply. 

Seth chuckled against his lips. “Wanted to see you.” He looked down at the sling Dean’s arm was in, running his fingers over Dean’s shoulder lightly. 

“Don’t gimme that look,” Dean huffed. “Ain’t gonna break.”

Seth just nodded, knowing not to test him, and followed him inside. He got them set up on the couch with the snacks and the beer, Dean taking the whole bag of plain potato chips for himself. They turned on a Game of Thrones marathon, but ended up talking through the whole thing, with Seth shushing Dean when a cool part came on. It was nice, just hanging out together with nowhere to be and nothing to do, no one to interrupt them. They didn’t talk about Dean’s injury, or his rehab, or what happened with Jason. They just enjoyed each other’s company. Seth always found that he relaxed more, laughed easier, when Dean was around. Even though he’d only been gone a week, it felt like a lifetime to Seth. 

It was a nice, happy bubble for one night, but Seth knew it had to break. Reality had to set back in, and it took the form of Seth’s very early alarm the next morning. Seth groaned and reached over to slap it. They were both naked in Dean’s bed, Dean was on his side facing Seth, his injured arm in a brace curled over his stomach. He hadn’t stirred when Seth’s alarm went off, and Seth found himself just looking at his face, taking him in. His heart sank at the idea of having to leave him, of Dean dealing with all this on his own. 

With a sigh, Seth started getting up, but that was when he realized that Dean wasn’t as asleep as he was pretending. He didn’t open his eyes, but he scooted over and then flopped his body limply on top of Seth, covering him completely and keeping him in the bed, his face in the crook of Seth’s neck. Seth laughed, warm and light, curling his arms around Dean’s middle. Dean was still acting like he was asleep, even when Seth shook him to try to get his dead weight off him. 

“What are you, an octopus?” he asked, lifting Dean’s good arm and watching it flop lifelessly back onto him. 

“Nope. I’m a squid,” he mumbled into Seth’s neck. “Squids have less arms.”

“Do they?” Seth asked nonchalantly, poking Dean in the ribs, trying to make him squirm. “I don’t think arm is the right word.”

At that, Dean peeked up at him with a leer and started slithering his good arm down Seth’s chest. “Right. Tentacles.” 

Seth was the one squirming then, laughing out loud as Dean used his tentacle-arm to tickle him. When the alarm went off again, Dean groaned dramatically and sat up, straddling Seth’s hips and glaring over at the phone. Seth turned the alarm off and looked up at him as Dean ran a hand through his scruffy hair. 

“You got time for me to make you breakfast?” Dean asked, looking down at Seth, his eyes gone a little disappointed at the reality of Seth leaving again. 

“Depends,” Seth said, drawing out the word as he trailed his fingers up Dean’s thighs, “if you’re gonna join me in the shower or not.”

Dean grinned like the cat that got the cream, he darted up out of bed and towards the bathroom, and Seth took a moment to enjoy the view before he chased after him. With the hot water running around them, they ran soapy hands all over each other’s bodies, and Dean kissed him like he never wanted to let him go. Seth sighed into it, got lost in it, liking this gentle side of Dean that no one else ever got to see. 

The spell was broken once they got out of the shower. They didn’t have time for breakfast if Seth was going to make his flight--and he _had_ to get back in time. Dean helped him pack, seeing the tag title belt in his luggage and not commenting, just pushing things in around it and zipping it closed.

When Seth came back into the bedroom, Dean was at his dresser looking for something. “Here,” he said finally, turning with a black cord dangling from his fingers. He passed it to Seth, who recognized the shark tooth necklace that Dean had for years. The tooth he found on a beach somewhere, Seth couldn’t remember the place, and Dean had insisted it was lucky. Seth had gotten it strung on the cord for him, and that whole year Dean had worn it every time he wasn’t wrestling. Seth hadn’t seen it since the Shield broke up. 

“Your lucky shark tooth? You sure?” he asked, his fingers running over the jagged edge. 

“Yeah,” Dean shrugged. “Maybe it’ll be more lucky for you than me.”

“Well, you weren’t wearing it when you got hurt, maybe that’s the culprit,” he teased.

“Damn it, you’re right. Put that thing on.”

Laughing, Seth put the cord around his neck, the tooth hanging on his chest, looking like it was meant to sit there. “Thanks, man. I didn’t get you anything.”

“You got me chips and beer.”

Seth just laughed again, shaking his head but touched by the gesture. He bundled up into his hoodie, and a beanie he stole from Dean without asking, his wet hair tied up underneath it. It felt like a blur, but suddenly they were at the airport and Seth realized that they spent so much time distracting each other that they never even talked about anything. 

“The beginning’s the hardest,” Seth told him, gesturing to the elbow brace. He’d already scolded him for not wearing the sling to drive him to the airport, but Dean had just told him not to fuss. “It’s gonna suck, but you’ll get through it. Just keep pushing, and do what the doctors say.”

“Yeah yeah, I know.” Dean’s eyes darted away, and Seth felt his pain deep in his heart. 

“Listen,” he said, dropping his bags down and stepping towards him. He reached up to cup Dean’s face with one hand, turning his eyes up to look at him. “It seems like forever away, but it’s gonna go fast, you’ll see. This is just temporary, you’ll be back better than ever and I’ll hold onto our titles for you until you do.”

“What about Jason?” Dean asked with disdain in his voice. They hadn’t talked about it since it happened, and Seth still wasn’t happy about teaming with Jason, but at least he got to get back at the Bar. 

“Fuck Jason,” he said, and Dean smirked a little. “We’ll figure it out, alright? You just worry about getting better. I’ll worry about all that shit.”

“Yeah, alright.”

Seth sighed; it wasn’t great, but it was enough for now. He leaned in to give Dean a quick, chaste kiss. “I’ll text you when I land.” 

He picked up his bags and turned to leave, but was stopped by the call of his name and a tug on his arm as Dean spun him back around. Then Dean’s lips were against his again, kissing him hard and deep, Dean’s one hand locked behind Seth’s neck. Seth dropped his bags and cupped Dean's face in both palms, holding him close, the press of his lips and the swipe of his tongue saying all the things he didn't get to. When they parted, just a bit of space between them, Seth met his eyes and felt that undeniable pull that had always connected them. 

“I love you. Asshole.” 

Dean’s words were soft, his eyes yearning, and Seth wanted to just crumble right there. They’d never said it, all these years and neither of them had _really_ said it. Seth kissed him again, a little softer but just as desperate. 

“I love you too, jerk,” Seth replied.

Dean smiled, and Seth traced the curve of his dimple with his thumb. Seth sighed again, knowing it was getting close to boarding even though the last thing he wanted to do right now was leave. “I gotta go, babe," he muttered softly.

“I know. I’m alright. I’ll _be_ alright. Focus on you. Don’t go out there worrying about me.”

“I’ll try.” Seth knew getting out of his own head was going to be hard, especially with Dean home like this, especially when Seth would rather be here with him than anywhere else. Reluctantly, he let go of Dean and with one last smile at him, Seth turned to get on his plane. He didn’t look back at him, knowing if he did he might not actually get on his flight. He settled in, alone, and closed his eyes. He played with the lucky shark tooth between two fingers, finding that it helped the ache in his heart a little. 

Seth slept most of the way there, his earbuds in and Dean’s beanie pulled low almost covering his eyes. Roman was there to pick him up, took one look at him, and didn’t say a word. He just picked up one of Seth’s bags for him and got him into the car. 

“You work out yet today?” Seth asked him finally, determined to _not_ talk about Dean. 

Roman looked over at him from behind the steering wheel. “Yeah, but I got a spot for ya. You wanna go now, or you wanna eat something that ain’t airplane peanuts?”

“I wanna go now.” 

Roman sighed but didn’t protest, knowing that Seth couldn’t be argued with when he was like this. Seth was grateful for his silence, wanting to just get in the zone and focus on his work out, on his match that night. Dean was right, he had to get out of his head, that just always seemed a lot easier to do when Dean was around. 

They pulled up into the Crossfit gym that had closed for the superstars to use it, and even though Roman said he’d already worked out, he followed Seth into the locker room and got changed to work with him. He noticed the shark tooth, dangling from Seth’s neck as he bent to tie his sneakers, but Roman didn’t say anything, just smirked to himself. 

“Hey!” came a voice from behind them, and they both turned to see Jason Jordan glaring at them. “Where the hell have you been?”

Seth was in no mood to deal with him, but he straightened up and turned to face him head on. “Not sure how that’s any of your business.”

Jason huffed in that overdramatic way of his. “You’re my tag partner, we have a match in three hours, and you just _disappeared_.”

“Well, I’m here now.”

Jason barked a laugh. “You were with Ambrose, weren’t you?” he said in a judgemental tone, and Seth’s eyebrows went up. “When you gonna let that go, man?”

Seth nearly snapped, and he took one step forward with fire in his eyes. It was the firm grasp of Roman’s hand on his shoulder that stopped him. “I got this,” Roman muttered to him, then stepped in front of him to stare down Jason. 

And he was _a lot_ bigger than Jason Jordan. “Listen, son. Is this really a fight you want to pick with your new tag partner here? Because trust me when I say, that he doesn’t need you. But _you_...without Seth you’re just a whiny little Daddy’s boy, with half a championship. You get me?”

The muscles of Jason’s jaw clenched, and his eyes darted from Roman over to Seth, then back again. “Yeah. I got you.”

“Good.” Roman still didn’t stand down. “Now apologize.”

Seth stared at Jason, waiting for him to make the first move, and Jason stared back at him for a long time until, finally, he stuck his hand out. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, and Seth reluctantly shook his hand. “It sucks about Dean. But we’ve gotta have each other’s backs now, right?”

Seth realized it was probably the best he was going to get from him. “Yeah. We’ll see.” He let go of his hand with a withering glare, and Jason left. 

Chuckling a little, Roman slapped Seth on the back. “Feel better now?”

Seth smiled over at him. “A little.”

“Atta boy.” Roman slung his arm around Seth’s neck and gave him a shake. In pure little brother fashion, Seth shoved him off but he was smiling as he did it. The wait for Dean to get back to him was going to be excruciating, and Seth wasn’t sure how many of these impromptu trips to see him he’d be able to do. But at least he wasn’t alone, and he’d make sure Dean wasn’t, either. He loved him too much to let him suffer alone, even if he couldn’t be there by his side. 

Seth shoved down the ache in his chest, the worry, the cloud of thoughts about all the ways this could go. He got out of his head, for once. For Dean. He tucked the shark tooth into his t-shirt and he got to work.

**Author's Note:**

> I miss Dean so much, I needed this. I almost ended it early, but decided to add the last bit with Roman and Jason to give Seth some closure. I hope you like it. <3


End file.
